Balance
by Naela
Summary: A stranger arrives at the Kamiya residence to stay for an extended period of time. No one knows who he is and Kaoru finds herself intrigued by the man. What no one realizes is that this man has come to Japan on a mission for revenge.
1. His Arrival

Balance 

By: Naela

Category: AU, romance, action/adventure, dark

Summary:

A stranger arrives at the Kamiya residence to stay for an extended period of time. Though no one knows anything about him, Kaoru finds herself intrigued by the man. What no one realizes is that this man has come to Japan for a mission of revenge and will stop at nothing until he's complete it. 

Author's Notes:

This would be my first RK fic. I'm so excited! I know the fic's going to be a little dark and Kenshin really isn't Kenshin but I suppose you could consider him as Battousai. It's one of those 'modern day fics' and I couldn't resist writing one. The plot bunny just came. Special thanks goes out to Kitt for beta reading my story.  Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer:

Rurouni Kenshin is copyright to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Chapter One – His Arrival

She'd scrubbed the place from floor to ceiling and worked on cleaning it for nearly four days. Though it was rather spacious, the apartment was cleaned out a day before the deadline. Not that it was really necessary since it would soon regress back to its dirty state in the span of a few days but the thought that she could accomplish such a feat made Kaoru proud.

Having spent most of her time on cleaning she'd neglected her schoolwork. It was fortunate that Kaoru had chosen a week that was free of any sort of tests or projects. The finals were over and soon the school year would end and she could spend her summer focusing on the dojo and her training.

Today would be the day that the "guest" would arrive. He was apparently an important friend of the family's but he'd left for America before Kaoru had the chance to meet him. She found his importance rather doubtful. In the seventeen years she'd been alive she'd never heard a word whispered about this guest.

Important or not he'd been given a room to stay in their apartment and no one was to bother him unless he wanted to be bothered. Her father had said nothing else about the man, not even giving her a name to greet him with. Her father did however; give her a date and time of when their guest would arrive. 

She was sitting at her desk, tapping her pencil against her math textbook. Her mind, however, was more on the houseguest than on her work. The sound of a car door being shut made the girl stop her tapping. Kaoru pushed her chair back and peeked out of the window. Below she saw a small black car of a model she couldn't identify. She never had a strong enough interest in cars to tell the difference between one from another.

Though she had no real proof, Kaoru was certain that the guest had arrived. Jumping to her feet, she paused momentarily in front of a mirror. She appeared presentable enough and headed out to the living room. Her father was already away at work and left hours earlier, her brother had decided to go off to spend the day with friends. Kaoru was left in charge of giving the guest a proper welcome. 

Like the many times before, her intuition was proven correct. There was a sharp rap on the door. It was repeated only twice and had Kaoru been in her room, she would never have heard it. Hesitating, she wondered about the stranger beyond the door but pushed her thoughts aside. She would have enough time later to know the man. Twisting the lock, she opened the door. What she first saw was three boxes stacked perilously on top of the other. The second thing she saw were the wobbling legs of a man who was bearing more weight than one should handle.

Suddenly afraid that the boxes would topple on her and half wondering how the man had managed to knock, Kaoru quickly stepped forward. "Here! Let me help you with that," she offered. The guest said nothing and flinched aside when she laid a hand against one of the boxes. His face was hidden yet he managed to walk straight into the living room. There he dumped his boxes in unceremonious manner. Obviously the contents inside them didn't bear enough credence to be handled gently.

She frowned and studied the man, trying to process what kind of personality he had. From behind, all she could see was his fiery red hair, tied back in a topknot. In some ways she was reminded of a samurai, like the ones she'd seen in her textbook. Deciding that there was no way of discerning a person's character from behind she pushed the thoughts away and began to close the door.

That was when he spoke, startling her with his deep voice. "No, don't." He was in a crouching position, still with his back turned to her. Kaoru wasn't certain if he was speaking to her or to someone else. She rolled her eyes, of course he was speaking to her, there was no one else in the apartment.

"I have more belongings downstairs."

"Ano, do you need help?" Kaoru asked.

The man shook his head and without another word he walked past her. Kaoru had been glancing elsewhere and only got a second to glance at his profile before she was once again staring at his back. The profile alone wasn't enough to give her more information on him.

She glanced after the guest but he was already gone from sight. Heaving a sigh, she turned back towards the luggage and wondered if she should help him unpack or if she should just leave it as it was. The logical part of her brain told Kaoru that she would be annoyed if she discovered that someone had gone through her belongings and it was natural to assume that this guest would feel the same way.

Kaoru would have gone back to her room and continued on her homework but curiosity had her remain. She stood waiting for him by the door, every once in a while peeking past the frame only to see no one there. It was during one of her moments where she was fighting the temptation to rummage through his items when the guest arrived, this time balancing two boxes and dragging a large suitcase behind him. Once again his face was hidden behind the pair of boxes.

Holding her hand on the door she wondered whether or not to close it. She glanced at the guest doubtfully and finally decided to shut the door when he made no protest. After she was sure that the door was locked Kaoru turned to face the guest with cheerful smile.

"I'll show you to your room," she said. Approaching him, she stuck out a hand. "I'm Kamiya Kaoru."

She waited for a response from the man but after a few moments had passed and he'd said nothing she pulled her hand away. What was up with the guy? Holding back a sigh she planted a hand on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "Well?" she asked, irritation was deeply ingrained into her voice.

There was a pause. "Himura."

Not quite satisfied with his answer, Kaoru continued on waiting. The man however refused to give her any further information. Guest or not she began to think of him as being an exceedingly rude man. The least he could have done was give her a _full_ name. If this man hadn't been a total stranger she would have grabbed her bokken and given him a few whacks over the head.

"Fine," she spat. 

The stranger stared at her now, his face holding the look of one who was expecting something of her. Kaoru didn't quite register his expression but was rather intent on staring at him. Much of his face was hidden by his long red bangs but they did nothing to hide the pair of scars on his face. One made its way down his cheek, following the contour of his chin while the other slid across his cheek and intersected the first. Together they formed an unusual pattern: a cross. More impressive about his face were his violet eyes that seemed to struggle against a losing fight in keeping his emotions back.

_'Violet eyes… red hair…'_ The man looked more American than Japanese but he'd spoken her language with perfect ease.

"Are you going to show me my room?" he asked. His expressionless face was now marred with a slight scowl. 

Breaking out of her thoughts, Kaoru blushed under his glare. She bowed her head slightly as an apology and began gesturing at him to follow. The man did so, picking up a box and staring at her with his intense gaze. His room was located in the long hallway, the first room to right. It'd once been a study room, merely used to keep books and unused toys. Her father had cleared the room a few weeks ago and Kaoru had vacuumed and cleaned the entire place just yesterday. It smelt of lemons and required an open window to air out the stench. The room wasn't very large but it was certainly larger than Kaoru's room and its red carpeting made her wish she'd had that shade for hers. The white walls were barren of any sort of decoration though it was rather obvious that pictures once hung on them.

"Here it is," she replied. "Do what you want with it." Turning to face him she was startled by the change in his expression. What was once scowl was now wide-eyed shock. She blinked and in that instant the shock was gone and was replaced by a calm and expressionless mask. She wondered if she'd imagined the entire thing.

Himura barely acknowledged her when he entered his room and set down his box. His silence was beginning to irritate the girl as she watched him head back for the living room. Kaoru didn't hang around long enough to watch the man moving his belongings. She was fed up with a man who didn't want to hold a conversation and retreated back to her room. 

As she sat on her desk she tried thinking of a solution to a math problem but her mind continued on wandering back towards the guest. The most prominent question in her mind was about how long the man would be staying with the family. She considered speaking with her father about allowing such a person into their home but decided against it. If her father thought that this man was worthy enough to stay with them then she'd trust his judgement.

From down the hall she heard the soft click of a door being closed and knew that Himura finished moving all of his belongings. Focusing back on her work, Kaoru pushed all thoughts of the red-haired man out of her mind.

***

Kenshin didn't like it here. That was the first thing he decided when he walked up ten flights of stairs. To add insult to injury he had to share an apartment with a bratty girl and others he didn't know. He wondered for the fifteenth time why Hiko didn't just get him his own apartment.

'_Stop your whining,_' he could almost hear the large man tell him. '_Ten flights are nothing compared to some of the stuff I've put you through._'

Pulling a switchblade from his back pocket he plunged it into the cardboard box and with a few swift movements he sliced the top open. Inside were his books. There were over fifty of them in the box and he'd bought them years ago. He read them once before letting other priorities in his life take over.

He pushed the box aside since there was no place to put them. His bed would be arriving soon along with his desk and shelves. As if through some divine influence the doorbell rang. Kenshin didn't bother to answer it knowing that the Kamiya girl would do it and just as he'd expected he heard the door to her room swing open and her running footsteps.

Going back to another box he cut through the tape, not bothering to glance inside when he heard knocking on his door.

"Himura, your bed's here." It was the girl. 

He pushed aside the rest of his luggage and opened the door. There four largely built men standing behind her. He stepped past Kamiya and nodded towards his room.

"Just put it in there," he replied. "I'll figure out where to put it later."

"Yes, sir."

_'Sir?'_ He wondered if Hiko or one of his friends sent these men. He didn't bother to dwell on the thought. Instead he went to one of the open windows of the apartment. Tonight he'd scope out the area and memorize the routes around the building.

"Himura?"

It was the Kamiya girl again. He glanced at her over his shoulder. "What?"

"Are you hungry? I can cook something for you if you want."

The 'no' on the tip of his tongue was ready to be voiced when Kenshin hesitated. He reprimanded himself for his bad manners. This girl was, after all, trying to make him feel welcomed and he couldn't blame her for trying. He gave a curt nod. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw her smiling before entering the apartment's kitchenette.

The hired men soon left after an hour. By that time Kenshin was sitting at the counter, eating a bowl of plain rice. Every other dish that the girl had set out was burnt beyond recognition. Knowing better than to insult a girl's cooking he'd continued on eating without complaint. Even the rice was burnt and hard to chew.

When the meal was eaten the Kamiya girl stood to begin gathering dishes. As she reached for Kenshin's bowl, he placed a hand on her arm, shaking his head. "I will handle the dishes," he replied and stood, pushing his seat back. Kamiya opened her mouth to protest but Kenshin was already at the counter with a stack of dishes balanced on one hand.

He stood over the sink and let the water run as he began rinsing. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he cleaned the plates with practiced ease. It'd been well over eight years since he needed to wash anything but the feeling was still familiar. It was him who would come back from a day's work to find dinner already cooked. After dinner _she_ would try to do the dishes but he would always insist on doing them.

Setting the last of the plates on the rack, he dried off his hands and turned to find the place empty. The Kamiya girl was probably in her room. He glanced briefly at the clock as he walked into the hallway seeing that it was barely past five. There was plenty of time to set about organizing his room and then to scope out the neighbourhood.

He stopped in his tracks, standing still in the shadows. He was doing it again. Hiko told him not to organize his life as a schedule, which his whole purpose in Japan… or at least that was what the older man wanted him to think. But habits were hard to break and Kenshin always felt more at ease when he had a plan. Ignoring the words of his mentor, he proceeded to his room.

It took Kenshin only a total of three hours before his room was set about the way that he liked it. His bed was set so that the distance from the door to the bed was the same as the distance from the bed to the window. Over his bed was a rack of swords that Hiko had arranged to be sent to Japan ahead of time. Kenshin found the weapons waiting for him in his rented car. Most of them were ancient and were beyond being useable, only placed there for decoration. The bottom five swords were the ones he'd wielded ever since he'd acquired the set from Hiko.

Asides from the set of swords everything else in the room looked normal. 

Normal… now there was a word that could hardly apply to him. Turning away from his room he shut the door quietly behind him and headed for the streets of Tokyo. Dressed in his navy blue shirt and grey khaki pants he had tucked under his belt his small tanto.

Since it was summer, the sun took its time to set. Kenshin disliked walking in broad daylight since it made him stand out to others too easily. Especially in Japan where his trade mark red hair stood out even more in a crowd of people that normally sported darker shades of hair colour. 

It was hard to believe that he was of pureblooded Japanese descent. Neither his parents had his hair colour, nor did his grandparents, nor did anyone else going back in his family lineage. Hiko had related to him once that his father had doubted his mother's fidelity. Blood tests had been done to show that Kenshin was indeed his biological son. To this day it still remained a mystery where he'd acquired his red haired genes.

Stalking the streets with light but brisk steps he cast his eyes downwards. As it became dark the crowds began to thin out. It didn't make much of a difference but it was less overwhelming for him. It'd been a while since he'd lived in Japan but everything was becoming familiar to him, the crowds, the bright lights, everything. 

It sickened him.

Deciding that he was fed up with sight seeing, he began searching for a different target. Kenshin soon found what he was looking for, a bar that was quite a distance from the Kamiya residence. Pushing the door open he let the crude smells of the place invade his senses.

***

"Hey, ugly, what's with all this junk?"

Kaoru ground her teeth as she turned to face her brother. He was seven years her junior but the boy already had the insolent mouth of a rebellious teen. Bringing her fist down on his remarkably hard skull she answered, "Our guest came over in the afternoon." She locked the boy in the crook of her arm and began grinding her fist into his skull. 

"OW!" Yahiko wriggled out from her headlock and rubbed the top of his head. Sending her a scowl, he asked, "What's he like?"

Kaoru shrugged and recalled her interaction with Himura. "Rude… he's an ass."

Yahiko smirked. "I think I might like him then." With that he bounded to his feet and ran into the hall. It only took Kaoru a few moments to realize that her brother had just gone into Himura's room.

"Yahiiiiikoooo!!" she wailed and raced after him.

Her socked feet slid against the bare floor as she came to a stop in front of Himura's room. She nearly slipped at the lack of inertia and grabbed onto the doorframe before falling onto her back. She was shocked at how neat and orderly Himura had set up his room. Noting momentarily at the books piled on the shelves, Kaoru then focused her attention on what her brother had already noticed.

She screamed when she found herself facing the sharp end of a sword. Jumping backwards she glared at her brother and slapped the weapon out of his grip. It fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Kaoru knew that the neighbours downstairs would be soon calling to complain about the noise.

"Yahiko!" she scolded. "You're not allowed in his room!" Picking up the sword she stared at it momentarily. She wasn't at all too surprised that Himura would own such things.

"But he has swords!" he exclaimed, pointing at the rack. "These are sooooo cool! Better than that stupid bokken you always make me use."

"At least a bokken can't hurt people," Kaoru retorted and held out the sword. "Put this back where you found it."

"Well not with you," Yahiko retorted and ducked a blow to his head. He snickered as he bounded back into Himura's room. He frowned as he noted something wrong. "Hey Kaoru, don't you find it strange that this rack has an empty space?"

Kaoru glanced at the frame and realized that her brother was right. If Himura could afford that many swords then he would have at least bought one more for that space unless… She blinked and impatiently gestured her brother out of the room. "Don't you have homework?" she questioned.

"I finished it over at my friend's house."

Kaoru sighed. "Fine, then go play with your Nintendo or something."

Yahiko snorted and rushed off to the living room and began setting up his PS2. Kaoru watched him with a small smile on her face before turning her gaze towards the clock. It was well past ten, she'd let him play for half an hour before forcing him off to bed. Her father wouldn't be home for at least another two hours and who knows where Himura had gone. She flinched at the loud volume her brother had the TV set on.

"Turn that down, you brat!"

Glancing at her over his shoulder, he stuck his tongue out.

***

It'd been well past two in the morning when the guest came back. Kaoru, who had fallen asleep by then, was awakened by the heavy thudding on the door. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Himura and part of her was irritated by his rude awakening. There were people asleep and here he was trying to wake up the dead.

She slipped out of bed and went to the front door, thrusting it open. She was ready to give the man a piece of her mind when she nearly fell backwards under the sudden weight of Himura. The man collapsed into her arms and despite how he looked he was heavier than she'd imagined. Stumbling under his weight she propped him up against the wall and managed to close and lock the door without having Himura topple over. She grunted as she dragged the man towards his room. His breath was on the back of her neck and from the smell she knew that he'd been drinking.

"…No…" he muttered and pulled away from her. With a sudden spurt of strength he ran for the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Kaoru jumped at the loud noise and glanced around. Yahiko's door was still closed that boy would probably sleep through a tornado. Her father on the other hand… she walked towards the door and found it locked. Pressing her ear up against the wood she heard only silence where as she'd usually hear his calm breathing. That meant that her father was awake. 

Shaking her head angrily, she approached the bathroom and banged on it. "Next time you decide to come back drunk, Himura, you're going to be sleeping in the hall."

His only response was a disgusting retch and the sound of his vomit falling into what she hoped was the toilet. Her hopes were revealed true when she heard the sounds of flushing. She hesitated, not knowing what to do. She never had to deal with drunken people before. What did one give to a drunk? Gravol? She scowled. It was his own fault that he was drunk; let him deal with it alone.

She reached her room and sighed in frustration. His fault or not she couldn't just let him fall asleep in the toilet. Heading back for the bathroom she found the door unlocked and Himura leaning against the bathtub. His unruly bangs fell over his eyes making it impossible to tell whether or not he was asleep or just dazed.

"Himura?" she questioned.

There was no answer, which probably meant that he was asleep. She reached his side and just as she was about to lay a hand on his shoulder, his hand shot forward, grasping her arm, yanking it with a twist. Kaoru held back a screech of pain. Trying in vain to struggle out of his grip she caught sight of his amber eyes peering at her from underneath his bangs. Kaoru turned away, unable to meet his gaze.

His grip loosened and somehow the redhead managed to stand. With both of his hands on her shoulder he struggled to walk. Kaoru tensed as she tried to support both herself and the drunk.

"Kamiya…" he croaked and collapsed on top of her. Her knees bent under the weight. With strength that surprised even her, the girl managed to carry Himura into his room. Anger and irritation made her toss the man onto his bed. She left him like that, not bothering to spare a second glance at the guest. Returning to her bed, Kaoru tried her best to sleep. It took the girl quite a few hours when slumber came and when it did it was with the image of Himura's amber eyes imprinted on her mind.


	2. Only Red

Balance

By: Naela

Category: AU, Romance, action/adventure, dark

Summary:  
A stranger arrives at the Kamiya residence to stay for an extended period of time. Though no one knows anything about him, Kaoru finds herself intrigued by the man. What no one realizes is that this man has come to Japan for a mission of revenge and will stop at nothing until he's complete it.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to all those who reviewed! I greatly appreciate the time and effort you guys took so as thanks, here's chapter two. It took longer than expected but really it was just because I was unhappy with the first version and rewrote the entire thing, then sent it off to my beta reader, Kitt, who sent it back a day later. I was still unhappy with it so I rewrote it again and then sent it back and Kitt sent it back in the same day! My oh my!! Especially since Kitt's a famous author over in the Star Wars fandom and she managed to also update her fic on the same day too. Anyway if you guys are Star Wars fans and enjoy reading fics about Luke and Vader then I suggest you go and check her fic out. Anyway special thanks to her and whew! This is one long author's note.

Disclaimer:

Rurouni Kenshin is copyright to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Chapter Two: Only Red

Dawn came and out of habit Kenshin rose with the sun. His eyes were still filled with sleep and his mouth tasted awful. He grimaced as he swallowed and glanced over towards the window. Even this early in the morning Tokyo was a city that was always alive. 

Brief images of the night before surfaced to his memory. He glanced around him and knew without questioning, where he was. Unlike most people, where it quite often took a few minutes to recall what happened, Kenshin had quick access to his memory and could easily pull out the information he needed.

He pressed a hand against his face, his thumb and pinkie massaging his temple while his index and middle fingers were massaging his forehead. He'd been drunk, a state he found himself quite often in nowadays. While back in America no one cared about his drinking binges, he doubted the people in the Kamiya residence would bear the same attitude.

Stepping up to the door, he locked it, at least that would deter any questioning from the family for a while. Too tired to stand, Kenshin sat on the chair by his desk but felt something poking into his stomach. Annoyed he pulled out his tanto and stared at it. In his drunken state… had he…?

He pulled the dagger from its sheath and felt relief wash over his body when he found the blade clean and glinting at him in the morning sunlight. He probably sat like that for another three hours, letting his mind wander through various thoughts and memories when he heard a knock on the door.

"Uh… Himura-san?" It was a child's voice. 

He contemplated remaining silent but finally approached the door. He tucked the tanto underneath his belt and pulled his coat together. "What?" He flung the door open. He had to direct his eyes downwards to make eye contact with the speaker: a boy, no older than ten with spiky hair. 

"Ummm… breakfast it ready," the boy replied. "Kaoru just wanted me to tell you…"

Kenshin gave a curt nod. "I'll be there in a few minutes," he replied and closed the door before the boy could say anything else. He threw off his coat and glanced at himself in the mirror, frowning at his dishevelled look. When he was drunk, he was not necessarily clean. Sighing he headed out his room and to the bathroom.

Once he felt clean enough, he joined the Kamiya family at the table. There was no sign of their father, a supposed close friend of Hiko's, not that Kenshin really cared. It was one less person butting into his life. He ate in silence, acutely aware of the stares that the boy was sending towards him. The girl on the other hand was looking at everything _but_ him. He had a brief image in his mind of the Kamiya girl carrying him to his room. 

When breakfast was over Kenshin stood up and without a word began clearing the table. He noted the boy's shocked expression. He obviously did not see him as the type who would voluntarily perform domestic duties. The Kamiya girl on the other hand didn't seem to care and went back into her room. The boy however stayed seated and watched him with interest.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang and the boy jumped. "I'll get it!" he exclaimed and rushed to the door. Kenshin stiffened and dropped the dish back into the sink. It was fortunate for him that the water had lessened the plate's impact. At the moment though, Kenshin cared little for the dish and was focused on the person behind the door. His hand went to his belt but quickly pulled it away when he realized the presence behind the door was of no threat. He turned back to the dishes and resumed washing.

"Oh… it's _you_." Kenshin heard the boy mutter.

"Well hello to you too," it was a girl's voice. Kenshin glanced over his shoulders momentarily to see a girl dressed in a blue skirt and blouse and she had her hair tied back in a loose braid. She stepped into the apartment and paused at the sight of him.

"Oooooooh, is this the guest Kaoru was talking about, Yahiko?" 

So the boy's name was Yahiko. Kenshin filed the fact away into the back of his mind. He was surprised when the girl came at his side and gripped his arm. "You've got muscles!" she giggled. "And what a guy! Washing the dishes."

Kenshin tensed under her touch and held back a growl before pulling his arm away. The girl didn't seem to take a hint as she stuck a hand in front of his face.

"I'm Misao Makamachi!" she exclaimed with a large grin on her face. 

Brushing the offered hand aside Kenshin turned to face her and gave a formal bow before exiting the kitchenette. 

"Hmmm not quite a people person is he?" he heard the girl ask.

"Like I would know," the boy replied. "I only met him this morning. Ugly's in her room by the way so quit bothering me!"

Kenshin was only given a few moments of peace in his room when he heard a light rapping on his door. It seemed no one seemed to want to leave him alone. Grudgingly he opened the door to find both Misao and Kaoru standing behind it. Misao, smiling brightly, was a stark contrast when compared to Kaoru who was scowling at him.

"Father wanted me to show you around Tokyo," she said tersely. "So grab a coat."

Shaking his head, Kenshin began closing the door. "I have better things to do than wasting my time with little girls." He spotted fire in the Kamiya girl's gaze.

It was Misao who intervened, sticking her foot in front the door, she stepped forward and tugged on his arm. "Oh come on!" she exclaimed. "There won't just be girls there… Aoshi-sama's going to be there!"

At the mention of the name, Kenshin froze and cast his gaze down at the girl. "Aoshi?" he questioned.

"Yeah!" Misao exclaimed. "He agreed to take us shopping!"

The thought of the stoic man carrying shopping bags and baby-sitting a pair of young girls made the corner of Kenshin's lips twitch. He held back the smile but reconsidered Kamiya's offer. He had, after all, been without entertainment for quite a while.

***

Kenshin had known long ago that he'd always hated public transportation. Being jostled about and poked at from the back by little kids was far from what he considered comfortable. Especially being in such large crowds. During the years he'd lived in L.A., he'd somehow managed to avoid crowds but now without a car or any sort of resources to put a barrier between him and others, he felt exposed.

"Aoshi-sama will be waiting for us at the next station," Misao informed them over the din of the subway. Kenshin made no effort to acknowledge what she said, though inwardly he was looking forward to meeting Aoshi. He hadn't seen the man for over a decade and back then they used to get along nicely.

The subway stopped and many of the patrons except for Kenshin lurched forward. Already he spotted Aoshi waiting for them through the windows and it was obvious Misao did as well when she screeched and stood in front of the doors, waiting impatiently for them to slide open.

She threw her arms open and engulfed Aoshi in a bear hug. Had anyone tried to hug Kenshin like that he would have been startled but it was obvious that Aoshi was used to this sort of treatment and even gave Misao a light pat on the back albeit an awkward one. His gaze however was on Kenshin. He seemed more pleased than surprised to see him. Kenshin wouldn't have expected any less from the man.

"Aoshi," he greeted, no honorific or even a bow or handshake. Though Aoshi knew that, for Kenshin, even acknowledging his presence was a step over the man's normal level of respect.

"Kenshin," he replied. They'd gone past last name basis years ago. 

"Aoshi-sama! Let's go!" Misao exclaimed, tugging on his arm with the patience of a three year old. Kenshin allowed himself a smirk at the comical display. Never in the years he'd known the stoic man had he seen Aoshi let himself be ordered around by a girl like her.

As Aoshi began walking pass them he muttered in a volume that only Kenshin could hear. "We'll talk later."

With that he turned around a corner and disappeared from view. Kenshin shoved his hands into his coat pockets and glanced down at Kaoru who was standing behind him in silence. 

He waited.

Kaoru continued staring.

Finally he grunted. "Go," he said.

A trace of confusion was set on her brow but she nodded before walking past him. Without hesitation he followed her, ignoring the many people who were gathering on the platform for the next train. As he predicted, watching Aoshi complying with Misao's demands was certainly entertaining. He smirked as the girl stacked bag after bag into Aoshi's arms while Kaoru went off to find clothing that were more suited to her tastes. 

"Hey Himura-san, aren't you going to buy anything?" Misao asked, waving at him from beside Aoshi.

Kenshin turned his head away. His answer was an obvious one. Undeterred Misao approached him and began dragging the fiery red head towards one of the clothing stores.

"Come on!" she exclaimed, "A vacation ain't a vacation unless you spend some money!"

Pulling away from her grip he shot a glare towards Aoshi, who had averted his eyes. He looked too innocent for Kenshin's taste. 

"I'm satisfied with what I have," Kenshin replied, allowing the slightest scowl.   
"Is that right, Kenshin?" Aoshi questioned. "I believe that's the same coat you were wearing the first time I met you."

Misao gasped at the new information and quickly proceeded to drag the two boys down to the men's clothing department. Aoshi merely glanced away, oblivious to the glares that Kenshin was sending in his direction.

***

It was already sunset when the girls departed on the subway. Kenshin and Aoshi however decided to remain behind. Both sat in a small coffee shop that was set on the highest level of the mall. It gave them both an amazing view of Tokyo. 

The waitress came and left, depositing a black coffee for Kenshin and green tea for Aoshi. Both sat opposite of each other though neither seemed to take notice of the view nor care about their drinks. Kenshin wrapped one hand around the mug.

"So, Battousai," Aoshi spoke up. "Is there a reason why you've come to Japan?"

For the first time in many months, Kenshin allowed himself a grim smile. "You know me, Okashira," Kenshin responded. "I always do."

***

Kenshin didn't return to the Kamiya residence until it was well after midnight. The meeting with Aoshi hadn't taken too long and after obtaining the information he wanted, he'd left the Okashira to enjoy his coffee alone. It was trying to go back to the apartment that had eaten most of his time. He'd found, to his dismay, that he had no idea how Tokyo's subway system worked and wasted most of the night riding in the wrong train.

_'I'll be needing a car.'_

He didn't need to knock to gain entrance to the apartment. Just that morning the Kamiya girl had given him a copy of their key card with instructions to never disturb her family with his drinking. He'd agreed to her terms with silent nods, finding them acceptable.

Slowly closing the door, Kenshin tried his best to enter the apartment in silence. Drunk or not he knew that the Kamiya girl wouldn't take being disturbed on two consecutive nights very kindly. Dragging his feet across his floor, he thought of dropping into bed and surrendering himself to sleep. The thoughts were banished from his mind when Kenshin reminded himself that sleeping was going to be the last item on his list. He'd already been wearing the same clothes for the past two days and desperately needed a shower.

When he entered the living room, Kenshin was surprised to find someone waiting for him in the dark. Seated on the couch with his hands resting on the armrest, was a figure that was barely distinguishable. Without even thinking his hand reached for his dagger.

"You won't need to draw your weapon." The voice was soft yet commanding. The authority of the words stopped Kenshin. Shifting in the darkness, the figure held up two hands, showing that he was unarmed. "You're my house guest, after all."

Knowing instantly who the figure was, he relaxed his stance. "Kamiya…san." He added the honorific with reluctance.

"You're getting soft, Battousai," Kamiya chided like an old teacher to a former pupil. "You should have felt my presence miles away." He stood up, and in the darkness gestured towards an easy chair. Kenshin remained standing, slightly annoyed at the truth behind the man's words. He watched as Kamiya gave a slight shrug and sat again.

They were like that for several moments, both staring at each other in silence. Kenshin's eyes finally began to adjust to the darkness and he could see Kamiya's calm and relaxed form. "You've really grown. I remember when you were just a child." Kamiya paused, and then added, "Hiko's been telling me a lot about you."

"Hiko's… been talking about me?" Kenshin spoke slowly. He saw the man nodding.

"He's told me about… _her_," Kamiya replied. His calm face became a slight frown. "I'm also very aware of how you've been taking care of yourself these past few days. Since you're staying under my roof, I would appreciate it if you gave up drinking."

Kenshin shrugged. "Fair enough," he replied. He admitted to himself that it'd been a reckless action on his part. No matter his location, there were still many who would have loved to be given a chance to attack him and he didn't make a very good fighter while in a drunken stupor.

"Your presence here poses a great danger for my family," Kamiya continued. His frown became a benign smile. "But since I'm a close friend to yours, it's a risk I take for their sake."

At a loss for words, Kenshin bowed his head. He watched as Kamiya stood and headed for his room. Standing still in the darkness, he wondered if Kamiya's son or daughter were aware of the true reason behind their wealth.

***

Kenshin awoke from a dreamless slumber; it was a rare occurrence but he enjoyed them when they came. Getting up, he went to his window and threw the curtains open. The sky was still dark and the sun was ready to peak over the horizon. 

He blinked away sleep and looked at his bed with longing. A few more hours under the covers would have been pleasant but as Kamiya had said, he was getting soft. What better way to toughen up than through training?

He prepared himself by dressing up in his usual training outfit, one of the few clothing items he'd brought over from America. Hiko had told him that he could buy more clothes in Japan and Misao had already helped him out earlier.

Below the apartment was an unused dojo. Apparently the Kamiya family had bought the entire first floor and had it redesigned as a dojo. Practicing kendo was a tradition that ran strong in their family and since he had become engrossed in his business, Kamiya rarely graced the training room with his presence. It was usually the girl or her brother who practiced there. He was sure that the Kamiya family wouldn't mind if he'd used the place for practicing. It'd been nearly a week since he'd last trained and he was certain that his reflexes had degraded. Kenshin could almost hear Hiko berating him with harsh words. One could not become a master without practice.

Kenshin turned towards his rack of swords and picked up a katana, the one he used for training. Each weapon was arranged in order from most used to just being eye candy. Out of the set of swords, Kenshin had only bought three. One was a katana that he normally wielded; another was his wakizashi. The third sword was the one he'd picked up, another katana but one he'd kept solely for training. 

Unsheathing the blade, he stared at its cold steal. It'd been polished to the point where it'd reflected his image like a mirror. He frowned as an image formed in his mind's eye. It was the grinning face of a boy holding the hilt of the sword and pointing it at his sister. 

Slamming the sword back into its saya, Kenshin let out a low growl. The boy, Yahiko, had come into his room and touched his swords. There was no need to question the fact. A swordsman always bore a deep connection to his weapon and a true swordsman could always tell when someone touched it. The boy's vibrant ki left traces of it on the sword.

Anger boiled in his chest. He felt it rise to his throat and form as a snarl on his lips. No amount of self-restraint could rein it in. It was a type of anger that could only be vented through the blade of his sword. 

He ran to the dojo. His mind only focused on expelling his wrath on an opponent. His feet pounded hard on the steps. Every once in a while there'd be a landing with a window that overlooked the city, and had Kenshin stopped to stare at his reflection, he would have noticed the amber shade of his eyes.

The redhead slid the dojo doors open and entered the room. It was built like most of the modern training halls, though Kamiya had gone and made the extra effort of adding in paper walls. Of course they weren't real, if they had been the building would have already collapsed on itself, but it gave the place the authentic atmosphere of a dojo.

Sliding into a battou-jutsu stance, Kenshin's right hand hovered over the hilt of his sword. His left hand clasped the saya tightly. Glaring at an unseen enemy, he coiled his leg muscles and with a flick of his left thumb, his sword flew into the air. Thrusting both sword and saya forward with his left hand he imagined seeing the base of the hilt connecting with a vulnerable part of his opponent's face. If it'd struck an eye then his opponent would be momentarily blinded or if he'd struck the forehead then the other would be dazed. Either way it gave Kenshin an advantage. Bringing his right hand forward, he drew the sword from the saya and with one quick slice he halved his opponent. 

Sheathing his sword, Kenshin stepped back and shook his head in disgust. Sparring with shadows was far from satisfying but being a disciple of Hiten Mitsurugi it was impossible to find a worthy partner to train with. Hiko had already given up in training him a while ago, having chosen to focus on his business, and, despite what his shishou said, Kenshin believed that he was ready to learn to the succession technique.

Turning back to his training, Kenshin imagined an opponent charging at him. The shadow drew his sword in a wild arc that left an opening. Taking advantage of the reckless move Kenshin thrust his sword forward, stabbing the other through the heart. Placing both hands on the hilt, he twisted the blade and felt, heard and saw his opponent fall as Kenshin pulled his weapon out of the man's chest.

He exited the gate carrying all that he owned with him. There'd been people there but none of them was a familiar face. It was a crowd of people who were waiting near the exit, all held back by a barrier. Some waved in his direction but the boy knew the gestures weren't meant for him.

_Part of the boy wondered what he'd do if he couldn't find the man, the one he'd been sent to. The social workers had taken great pains to send him across the Pacific Ocean, yet none of them considered what to do if his legal guardian had decided not to show._

_Tightening his grip on his duffle bag, Shinta threaded his way past the crowd and, like always, he was ignored. He supposed he could approach one of the people who worked at the airport and ask for help. After all it wouldn't hurt to ask them to announce for his guardian to pick him up. _

_A hand gripped his shoulder. It came out of nowhere and nearly made Shinta jump. He stiffened under its grasp and turned to face the owner of the hand. In the back of his mind he'd already known that it was his guardian but the other half of his mind was too flooded with fear to register the thought._

_Grinning down at him was a tall, raven-haired man. Built like a body builder but dressed like a businessman. His expression was filled with confidence and even a certain gentleness but Shinta, being an abnormally perceptive boy, could see that this man was dangerous if he wanted to be._

_Leaning forward, the man studied him and nodded once he was satisfied. "You've gotta be Shinta," he stated. "Your red hair's made you famous."_

_Shinta was trembling under his strong and large hand. Whether or not the other noticed it, he didn't seem to care that he was actually scaring the boy. Frowning at his lack of response the tall man slapped him on the back with enough force to make him wince. "Come on boy, speak! What? Did you bite off your tongue? Are you Shinta or not?"_

_"…Yes…" The response came out as a squeak._

_"So you can talk," the tall man noted dryly though obviously pleased with his previous presumption. "You don't look a thing like your parents."_

_The boy didn't bother to respond. He'd heard that said too many times for it to be worth wasting his breath. Shouldering his bag, he turned away from the man. He was strange, but there was no doubt in Shinta's mind that he was going to be his guardian. He pondered what living with this man for the next ten years of his life would be like._

_"Come on, kid," the man grunted and roughly grabbed the collar of his shirt. "We have a ride to catch. By the way the name's Seijurou Hiko."_

_Shinta filed the name away in his mind, since he knew he'd be using it quite often. He wondered if the man would prefer to be called Seijurou-san. He glanced ruefully at his guardian's back, thinking that he wouldn't be surprised if the man would insist on having 'sama' thrown in too._

Hiko paused before exiting the airport, noticing Shinta's absence. Glancing over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow and cocked his head for the boy to hurry. Shinta picked up his pace and nearly had to run in order not to lose sight of the man. He decided, as he excited the airport, that living with such a man would not be very pleasant.

Kenshin had trained for nearly two hours before he decided that it was time to stop. His body was drenched from sweat by that time and his muscles were already aching. This was a regular occurrence and the more he practiced the more at ease his body would be with the vigorous training. 

Wiping large beads of sweat off his forehead, Kenshin studied the ruined state of the dojo. The floor was cracked from the many times he'd performed do-ryu-sen and the paper walls had fallen apart, revealing the stonewalls behind them.

'Always be aware of your surroundings and of what you're doing,' Hiko had told him once. It was dangerous to let battle instincts to just take over. Kenshin had learnt that from experience but quite often he found himself forgetting the details around him. He often had to rely on sensing and predicting his opponent to win a battle. Hiko always saw it as a reckless tactic and it'd be his undoing someday. His teacher was probably right but Kenshin would wait until that day came to worry about it.

He shrugged and turned away from the mess. He'd get someone to clean it up once he had the chance. Considering how the Kamiya family rarely used the training rooms, they'd never notice. Leaving the dojo, he began to wearily climb the steps. The muscles in his legs began to knot. There was an elevator, of course, but to risk his life just because he felt lazy was a poor way to die.

Kenshin was surprised when he entered the apartment to find both the Kamiya girl and her brother already awake. He knew that it was still early morning and judging from yesterday, he also knew that the siblings awoke at nine. 

"You already went training?" the boy moaned, immediately spotting the sheathed sword tucked beneath the red head's belt.

It was then that Kenshin noticed their school uniforms and realized that they were awake because they were going to school. Casting a furtive glance over their clothes, he decided that the two were attending some upper class institution.

He glanced momentarily at the clock and saw the short hand pointing at eight. If he remembered correctly, school was supposed to start fairly soon for the two. Rather than point out the time, he turned silently on his heel and headed for his room.

Settling back quietly in his seat, Yahiko sent his sister an irritated glance, acting as if the girl was at fault. "Sheesh," he muttered. "He _is_ an ass."

***

The Kamiya siblings had left for school an hour ago, leaving Kenshin to an empty apartment. It didn't take him very long before he emerged from his room and migrated towards the living room. Still stinking of sweat, he sat rigidly in an armchair, the same one Kamiya had tried to offer him earlier, and turned the seat to face the 20" LCD television. With the flick of a switch, the screen was on and he was surfing through the many channels the Kamiya family received. Most of them were useless morning cartoons filled with happy-go-lucky characters and talking hamsters. The thought of watching an over stuffed balloon with eyes too large for its face almost made Kenshin shiver. 

After finally deciding to settle on a sports channel, which at the moment was showing a feature on Kendo, Kenshin lowered the volume and sat back. Though physically he was there and watching the show, his thoughts weren't absorbing what he was seeing. All he could picture was his home back in L.A. and working in the garden with her by his side.

There was a thump on the door that was followed by a loud curse. Kenshin's hand flew for his katana, only to snatch at thin air. He silently berated himself, having realized that he had left his weapon in his room. It was only after several moments, when he heard more cursing from behind the door that Kenshin relaxed. He recognized the voice, or more correctly, the vulgar language used. Kenshin went to the door and, with one twist of his wrist, he had it open. Before him was Sanosuke, hopping around on one foot like a mad rooster. 

Kenshin leaned against the frame, waiting for the taller man to acknowledge him. Waiting seemed an impossible endeavour when it became apparent that Sano was more preoccupied with his injured foot than with the man standing before him. Crossing his arms against his chest, the redhead narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Sano," he said.

His voice caused the other man to stop his wild hopping and colourful curses. Sano's head bobbed up much like a rooster's would, and with a dumbfounded expression on his face he cleared his throat and straightened. Shoving his hands into his pockets Sano threw Kenshin a wry smirk.

"Heeeey Kenshin," he greeted, approaching the redhead, and he thumped him on the shoulder. Kenshin grunted and brushed the other's hand off him with mild distaste. Knowing how much it'd annoyed him, Sano laughed.

"I should have known that your disappearance a few months back had something to do with my move," Kenshin muttered. "Hiko sent you." 

Sano gave him a half shrug. "Just making sure you stay outta trouble."

"I don't get in trouble, Sano."

Kenshin's comment elicited another hearty laugh from the rooster-head. It truly was a fitting name for him, Kenshin wondered momentarily where the nickname came from and remembered faintly back in the days, when Sano had been a fresh amateur to the group and fouled up a mission. Hiko had shouted coarsely at the man and in the middle of his ranting he'd searched for an insult. He came up with a perfect one and it'd stuck. 

Noting the dangerous glint in the redhead's eyes, Sano quickly sobered. "I just came by to drop off a package you left in L.A.," he said. Pulling a small, brown package from his pockets, he threw it to Kenshin who caught it with ease. 

Studying the box, he glanced up at Sano questioningly. "Where did you get this?"

"Hiko sent it to me," Sano said in a tone of disinterest. "Why the hell he sent it to me and not you is beyond me but that's your master."

Running a hand over the box's rough surface, Kenshin nodded slowly. It was apparent that he wasn't listening to the other man. He was instead focused on the package. He knew what was inside, he'd been the one who'd put the contents inside the box and at the last moment he'd left it behind. Just as he was about to enter the apartment, Sano held out a hand and easily stopped the door from being closed. Glancing sharply at him, Sano gave the red head a large grin. "Not gonna invite a friend over for lunch?"

Never mind the fact that it was still morning or the fact that it wasn't Kenshin's right to invite guests over; it was just Sano's nature to free load. The redhead had never figured out the reason why, since he knew personally of the man's paycheck, but he had the question thrown at him often and even expected it. Nodding, he stepped back into the hall and slammed the door. Sano's hand had been millimetres away from being crushed.

"We'll eat out," Kenshin said when he saw the other's confused expression.

"Huh? What about the T.V.?" Sano questioned. He jerked a thumb towards the door. He was unfazed by the close encounter between his hand and the door.

"Leave it." Kenshin was already down the hall before he paused at the stairwell. He glanced at the man and said, "We're going shopping afterwards."

Raising his eyebrows, Sano ran to catch up with the redhead. "Shopping?" he echoed.

***

"God… I hate biology!" Misao moaned.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and restrained herself from glancing at her friend. She knew the reason for her misery, an important biology test on viruses and bacteria, and in truth, she felt little sympathy for her friend. If Misao actually took the time to study she would passed the test. 

"It wasn't that hard."

"Oh you're talking, Miss I-Have-Nothing-Better-To-Do-But-Study-And-That's-Why-I-Get-Top-Mark," Misao retorted.

 "Sheesh, will you two just shut up?" Yahiko muttered. 

Both girls stared at the boy, both had their hands clenched, both had murderous looks in their eyes but before they could even land a punch, the boy's attention was captured by something else. His stance straightened and he quickly broke off into a run. Misao and Kaoru stared after him in confusion before running after him.

"Hey!" Kaoru exclaimed, as she found her brother standing at the front of their building, his hands pressed against the window of an expensive looking car.

"Oh…!" Misao exclaimed and was quickly at Yahiko's side, peering eagerly inside the vehicle.

Kaoru rolled her eyes. Sure it was nice and it was in a pleasant shade of red but she couldn't understand people's obsession with cars. A car was a car after all. They were all the same. Pausing behind the two, she coughed indiscreetly.

Realizing that both Misao and Yahiko were too lost in their fantasies, Kaoru sighed and headed for the apartment. "I'm going upstairs," she informed them, though she doubted that the two had heard her.

***

The box had been in his pocket since Sano had given it to him, crushed by the many times he'd sat on it, though Kenshin cared little about the contents being damaged. What was inside held little value to him and they could have caught on fire for all he cared. 

He sat on the floor, beside his bed, with the rack of swords hanging above his head. The box was placed before him, squashed and with its edges bent. 

_'I don't care about what's inside it. I don't care about _her_.'_

His hands flew forward, snatching the box. With a lightning quick speed he was able to tear it open. Much of its contents spilled forward, photographs rained from the box, all of them holding images of a dark haired women who smiled at him with eyes that were shaded by her bangs.

There were over a hundred pictures of her in the box, some of them were group photos, others were just of her alone. One had her standing in front of a building, dressed in silky white. Each photograph held a memory that he could see clearly. He had taken most of them and she'd reluctantly posed for the camera. Yet not even a camera could ever capture the entirety of her beauty, her spirit, her life force. That was what the camera had missed. 

When he came to the last photo, he put them aside. His attention was drawn back towards the box and to the violet cloth that'd been left on the bottom. Her favourite shawl, one she'd owned before he even met her, and she'd always worn it. The cloth had taken in her scent and even as he held it he could smell the white plum perfume she preferred to wear.

Crawling to the post of his bed, Kenshin wrapped the shawl around it and sat on the back of his legs to admire how it contrasted the dark red wood. 

"Tomoe…" Her name escaped his mouth in a soft whisper. It'd been a name he'd refused to speak in nearly ten years. He made a note to thank Hiko for sending the package over.

The slam of a door dragged Kenshin from his memories. With slight irritation he turned away from the shawl. There were heavy footsteps, almost as if someone was stomping around. He knew that it was the Kamiya girl, back from school; he wondered if the girl always entered rooms with such loud flourish. The stomping steps became louder and soon resided as the girl passed by his door.

Silence followed when she entered her room. Kenshin glanced at the scarf and no longer felt like thinking of _her_ knowing that he was no longer alone. Sighing, he moved over to his window and opened it. He leaned against the sill and stared silently outside. 

The silence was broken when the girl left her room and began knocking on his door. He ignored it but it persisted. Holding a hand against his forehead, he frowned. The girl was definitely determined.

"What?" he growled, loud enough to be heard through the walls.

"Himura-san…" the Kamiya girl's voice floated through the door. "Did… did you prepare lunch?"

Rolling his eyes, Kenshin gave a curt nod only to realize that she wouldn't have seen it. "Yes," he replied. What kind of a stupid question was that? Of course he did, didn't she see it lying on the table? Well, really he didn't prepare it himself, and had picked it up on his return home but he didn't think she needed to ask the question in the first place.

"Oh… uh… thank you," she stuttered.

Kenshin didn't respond and stayed rigid until he heard her footsteps walk away. 

Soon the boy returned, with another that Kenshin identified as the Misao girl. He could hear them chattering away in the kitchenette. He had no intention of joining the group but despite what Kenshin would have liked, there was no way for him to stay in his room for very long. Even with the window open, it was still stuffy and there was no miniature bathroom for him to use without needing to interact with other humans. Since Hiko had been so thoughtless about his living arrangements, he'd been given a place to stay with an annoying family who enjoyed pestering him with questions.

Just as soon as he stepped out of his room en route to the bathroom he was belted by a barrage of questions from Yahiko and Misao who were both jumping around and yammering on about a car. He knew immediately what the two were talking about.

"It's my car," he replied.

Their eyes widened and even Kaoru, who had been sitting at the table, glanced up at him in shock. Kenshin somehow managed to stare at all three at once and all three glanced away, unable to meet his intense gaze. 

"When did you get a car?" Kaoru asked.

"This morning," he said. "I went looking around and saw one I liked."

"But… how did you get it so fast?" Misao exclaimed. "Don't you need to wait a few days for it to be registered or something?"

Kenshin shrugged. "I have my ways."

They stared dully at him, but Kenshin, this time, turned his back on them. It was true he had his ways. He had many ways in getting what he wanted but fortunately for the car dealer he'd opted for a less bloody method. 

As he walked towards the bathroom, he paused at the window and glanced out to see his car. It was a shade of dark red. Cars didn't excite him as much as other people, but he did feel proud of owning a vehicle like the one below him. What had Sano called it? Ashton Martin Vanquish, yes, that was it. 

"That one," Kenshin said, pointing towards the car that'd caught his eye since they'd entered the building. His sudden voicing interrupted the heated argument that Sano and the salesman had been in. They turned to stare at him blankly.

"That… car?" Sano stared at the vehicle he was pointing at. His face paled as he recognized the model and knew immediately how expensive it was. "Ah… Kenshin, are you sure?"

The redhead stared at him causing Sano to shrug. "All right, your choice."

The salesman, also recognizing the model and its expense, quickly put on a grinning mask that was frightening enough to scare children away. Just as he was about to approach the redhead, Kenshin glared him away.

"I want to see it in front of my apartment in two hours," Kenshin told the man. 

"Ah… Kenshin, I don't think you know how this works…" Sano began.

"Two hours," Kenshin snapped. "Make it happen, Sano."

Sano frowned but silently agreed. Both he and the salesman walked away to go through all the necessary arrangements in the dealer's office. Kenshin was left alone in the display room. His gaze drifted towards the car and, slowly walking towards it, he reached out a hand and touched its cool surface. Moments later Sano returned, looking agitated. 

"It's being set up," he informed Kenshin. He frowned when he realized that the redhead was barely paying attention to him. "What possessed you to want this car so badly?"

Kenshin's gaze never left the car but with a clear voice he said, "It's red."

Sano's frown deepened. "So?"

"It'll hide the blood well."

End Chapter Two

To the people who reviewed my fics:

**Leigh:** Thank you! I'm glad you liked my fic, I spent some time trying to figure out a workable plot. lol

**AngelsExist:** Thanks! ^_^

**nemo:** Yeah, I'll admit that most of the characters in this fic are a bit OOC but its hard to Kenshin to act like Kenshin when really he's Battousai and is pretty  much your basic moody anti-social. Oh and there's definitely gonna be romance in this.

**baru-chan:** Eh well I see no reason to hide this… Kenshin left Japan when he was young (as you shoulda read in this chapter ^_~) to live with Hiko, who runs a 'business' in America. Kenshin came back to Japan for well… read the summary. Oh and about In the End… ehehehehe _nervous shifty glance_.

**Val**: lol no mystery was really intended but I guess the first chapter would be mysterious. Kenshin is Kenshin to quote Kaoru, no matter what, well ok he's a little Battousai too.


	3. To the Beach

Balance

By: Naela

Category: AU, Romance, action/adventure, dark

Summary:  
A stranger arrives at the Kamiya residence to stay for an extended period of time. Though no one knows anything about him, Kaoru finds herself intrigued by the man. What no one realizes is that this man has come to Japan for a mission of revenge and will stop at nothing until he's complete it.

Author's Notes:

Bah! I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter, it was the same case as chapter two. Anyway special thanks goes out to Deja Vu who agreed to beta read this chapter for me. Thanks Deja, you're a doll!! Go read her fics too if you're a Star Wars fan. *G* 

Disclaimer:

Rurouni Kenshin is copyright to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Chapter Three: To the Beach

Kenshin had always known that Sanosuke was far from being a good cook. He had to admit that the man's cooking was far better than anything Kaoru had produced, but the sight of the slop he'd considered breakfast had made the redhead turn a few shades paler. It was brown with green bits of what he hoped were leafy vegetables and it was as greasy as a fryer found in a fast food restaurant.

"Here ya go, Kenshin," Sano said, throwing a large helping of the 'breakfast' onto the redhead's plate.

Giving Sano a slight nod, he held his pair of chopsticks and stared at the food. How was he supposed to know that the thing hadn't been unintentionally poisoned? Knowing Sano, the man could have accidentally thrown in a few bottles of cleaning fluids out of carelessness. There'd been a number of times in the past where Sano had knocked a few men out due to food poisoning. 

Laying his chopsticks on the table, he watched as the other man began eating his breakfast. Though he acted like a rooster in many ways, his eating habits weren't too different from that of a pride of lions gathered over a new kill.

"Not hungry?" Sano asked, staring up at the redhead and noticing his full plate.

"I already ate," Kenshin lied. 

Sano shrugged. "Your loss," he replied and continued on devouring his breakfast.

The two sat in silence, much like back in the old days when they'd shared a room together during missions. Sano wasn't much older than Kaoru, but he had more experience in making things 'work' than the girl could ever achieve in a lifetime. He'd been a street kid when he was young, abandoned by his family. He'd barely entered his teens when members of Hiko's business took him in. Kenshin had known Sano since he'd been a boy, and though he'd practically ignored the other man for most of his career, they'd managed to end up on quite a few jobs together. It was inevitable that the rooster-head began considering himself as Kenshin's best friend.

Staring around Sano's apartment, he noted its neatness, which he found strange. He knew from experience that Sano was far from being a neat man; it'd only take him a matter of hours before he'd start turning a perfectly neat room into a pigsty. Either the man sitting across from him had started cleaning for himself or he had someone else cleaning for him. Kenshin doubted the former and found the latter more logical. It could be that Sano a housekeeper or it could have been…

"Sano."

Glancing up from his breakfast, the rooster-head raised an eyebrow. "Hrm?" 

"You have a roommate?"

Swallowing his mouthful, Sano shook his head. "Nope, still living alone," he replied. He frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"If you're wondering about the neatness," Sano said, lazily sweeping an arm around the room, "It's because of this new girl."  
This made Kenshin raise an eyebrow. "New girl?" 

Sano grinned sheepishly at him. "Yeah," he said. "She's gonna be moving in soon and refused to live in a 'pig sty'." 

"Interesting," Kenshin replied, quickly losing interest in the subject. A girl, that was explain it, though he wondered when Sano started to show an interest in women. 

He jerked back when the rooster-head jabbed a pair of chopsticks in his direction. "I can introduce you to her after she moves in if you want."

"I'm sure I'll be running into her anyway," the redhead answered dryly, shoving the chopsticks away. 

Sano nodded_, not noting his companion's sarcasm. Kenshin sat in silence, staring at the worn table surface. He remembered eating on this table and wasn't surprised that his friend hadn't bothered to replace it._

Normally Kenshin would have been down in the dojo training, but Sano knew him too well and had intercepted him when he was on his way down. The man had then invited him to breakfast. Kenshin had refused the first time. The second time Sano had added that he had information that he needed to give. Dubiously, the redhead had accepted the invitation. 

That had been nearly an hour ago. Sitting around and waiting for Sano to finish cooking the breakfast had wasted most of that hour. Now the food had been served and Kenshin was waiting for the other man to finish eating.

Sano, however, didn't need to finish his breakfast to start striking up a conversation. "Yo, Kenshin, remember that thing I was gonna tell ya?"

"The reason why you invited me over," Kenshin stated. His tone was flat. He ignored the fact that he could see the chewed contents inside the rooster-head's mouth when he spoke. "Yes. I remember."

"Yeah…" Sano put his chopsticks down. "Someone scratched your car."

Kenshin's muscles tensed on hearing the information. He felt an urge to rush out of the apartment and into the streets to confirm what Sano had spoken. The logical part of his mind told him to stay. Listening to the wiser part of his conscience, Kenshin remained sitting.

"Really," he replied. His tone took on a dangerous edge. "Are you certain?"

"Well, either I was really drunk enough to start seeing things last night or… yeah," Sano said.

"Thank you for the information," Kenshin said. He stood up. "Thank you for breakfast too, but I think I should be going."

Nodding, Sano stood up and guided his friend to the door. "See ya soon Kenshin, don't worry about the scratch, I'll take care of it."

"Thanks." The redhead mumbled. He turned around a corner was soon racing down the ten flights of steps. He ran past the dojo, out the lobby, and into the middle of the sidewalk. His car was still where he'd left it last time and seemingly untouched. There was no scratch or anything wrong to indicate that it was a victim of vandalism.

Going up to the car, he passed the hood and was standing on the street. He immediately saw what Sano had meant. There, on the side of his vehicle, was a single white line stretching from tire to tire. There was no point in feigning ignorance; the offending mark was just too noticeable to overlook.

Leaning against the vehicle, Kenshin pressed a hand to his forehead. Of course he shouldn't have been such an idiot to leave such an expensive thing right out here on display. He should have learnt from his experience in L.A. that no matter what country he was in there would always be people who would hurt others just for the fun of it.

He felt strangely calm. There was no anger, just a tiring emptiness. The redhead considered going back to his room and sleeping. The swordsman inside him, however, refused and fought against the idea. Relenting to its commands, he re-entered the building and headed for the dojo.

***

When Kenshin had finished climbing the last flight of steps, the first thing he noticed was the strange smells that had invaded the tenth floor. Unperturbed by the stench, he reached the Kamiya residence. His suspicions were confirmed upon entering the place. There, in the kitchenette, was both the girl and the boy, trying calmly to eat their breakfast. The boy in particular looked ready to faint though his sickly countenance was quickly replaced by elation upon seeing the redhead.

"Oi! Himura-san!" Yahiko exclaimed. He sprung from his chair and landed in front of Kenshin. "Could you please, please, pleeeeease drive me to the beach today?" The boy began tugging on the swordsman's gi, much to Kenshin's annoyance.

"The beach?" Kenshin repeated. He raised an eyebrow. "Don't you two have school?"

"It's the weekend!" Yahiko retorted. Quickly biting back his brash words, he added, "Please Himura-san?"

Kenshin felt too exhausted to go out, but at the same time he didn't feel like putting up with the boy's incessant pleadings. Given choice between the two he would have preferred shipping the boy off to the beach to perhaps so that he would have at least one less annoyance off his back. Making his decision, he nodded and he watched as a wide grin spread across the boy's face, and soon he was barrelling out of kitchenette to his bedroom. Just watching the boy had the redhead feeling exhausted. 

Glancing at Yahiko's sister, he saw her scowling at the tabletop, but he didn't bother to wonder about her foul mood, having written it off as her usual disposition. He went his room and changed out of his training clothes to something more fitting for an outing. While untying his hair and running a comb through the knotted strands, he heard the footsteps of the Kamiya girl as she entered her room. He considered taking a shower and decided against the idea, there wouldn't be enough time.

When he left his room the boy was still going through his preparations. He sighed and knocked on Yahiko's door, alerting the other of his presence. "I'll be down in the car," he said, not waiting for an answer. There was a short grunt as a response. 

Kenshin left the apartment and went down into the street. Glaring briefly at the scratch, he stepped into his car. He sat waiting for at least ten minutes before the boy emerged. Kenshin was mildly surprised when the Kamiya girl followed and sat in the back seat.

She was dressed ready for the beach, and it was hardly an outfit one would expect the daughter of Kamiya to wear. She wore a long white t-shirt that reached past her thighs with no shorts or pants underneath. He knew that she was wearing a swimming suit under it, but it invoked unwanted and inappropriate thoughts. Banishing them from his mind, Kenshin berated himself for even thinking of a girl barely past her teens in such a manner.

He turned his gaze elsewhere when the girl glanced up, nearly catching his eyes in the rear view mirror.  
He held back a wince when Yahiko jumped into the seat beside him and closed the door behind him with a hard slam. Throwing a grin at Kenshin he buckled his safety belt and pounded against the car door. "Come on, let's go!" he exclaimed. "There's gonna be traffic if we keep waiting here."

Kenshin's reply was to ignite the engine and pull the car into the street. Without any sort of warning they were racing down the road at an incredible speed. Driver and passengers were pushed back into their seats as he sped up, running through a traffic light ready to turn red.

He glanced at the mirror and saw the girl mouthing something at him. Her words were lost in the wind. He guessed that she was shouting at him to slow down. Smiling slightly he added more speed, making the girl shriek.

The speed brought back memories of nights in Los Angeles, shortly after he'd dropped out of UCLA. He was no expert in cars back then, but he knew that he loved driving at break neck speeds. It got his mind off the troubles of the world and allowed him for at least a few brief moments to just forget about swords or guns or even Tomoe.

His mentor never approved of such reckless driving since he was the one who would always pay for the cars Kenshin would crash. He'd been in quite a few accidents in the past few years, and Kenshin had never let anyone realize that his accidents had been intentional. No one knew that he would destroy cars on purpose, just to see them collide together. It was enjoyable to see something so strong become nothing but scrap in a few seconds. It wasn't as if he were suicidal; he always managed to get out of the cars before a collision. Now here he was, once again behind the wheel and acting as if he were some bus driver shipping two kids to the beach.

In a leisurely manner he laid his head against his seat and almost smiled as he tailgated another a corvette. In the back, the Kamiya girl was screaming loud enough for him to hear her.

***

The car came to an abrupt halt when they reached the beach, and a green minivan honked at them as it swerved to the right, barely missing a collision. Ignoring the honking, Kenshin pulled his car into a parking lot that was baking underneath the afternoon sun. Families were gathered by their minivans, pulling out miscellaneous items meant for a picnic or small floatation devices for swimming in the sea. 

They came to a smooth stop at the front of the lot, and Kenshin waited wordlessly for the two siblings to depart. The boy shakily stepped out of the car. The girl remained frozen; her hands were clenched into fists and her cheeks were unusually pale.

Minutes passed before Kenshin turned, staring at her over his shoulder. He frowned and hesitantly he reached forward, placing a hand on her bare thigh. She flinched at the touch and stared up at him with blue eyes. Her thigh was warm under his cold hand.

"You all right?" Kenshin asked, pulling his hand away.   
Swallowing hard, she nodded. 

Yahiko poked his head into the car, glaring at his sister. "Ugly, you gonna come out or not? The racoon girl's bugging me again."

Sure enough, Misao appeared right beside him with a grin Kenshin had come to associate with the girl. Bopping the boy once on the head, she grinned even wider at the redhead. "Hi, Himura-san!" she said. Her grin lessened at the sight of her friend. "Oi, Kaoru… you don't really look that great. What happened, you sick?"

The girl shook her head. "No," she said, weakly. "I'm fine." She began to slowly crawl out of the car, nearly tumbling onto the pavement when Yahiko opened the door. Her brother was immediately by her side, helping her up.

"Well, isn't this a surprise, clumsy _and ugly," he said, throwing her another one of his glares. The girl glared back and immediately straightened._

"Thanks for the ride, Himura-san," she said coldly and turned on her heel, marching towards the sand.

"Yeah, thanks," Yahiko said. As he turned he gave the redhead a single wave before running off to the beach. 

Misao lingered, resting an elbow on the hood and frowning as she watched the two siblings. "Weird," she mumbled and shrugged.

Kenshin was silent as he waited for her to leave. Misao, however, remained where she was, smiling at him. "Aoshi-sama wanted me to give you a message," she said, running one finger over the car's red paint. "He said for you to meet him over… there." She pointed at an amusement park.

"There…" he echoed, staring at the park disconsolately.

Misao grinned. "Yeah, in about two hours," she said, holding up her middle and index fingers at him. Throwing him a wink, the girl left to join her friends. 

Sighing, Kenshin gripped the steering wheel and pulled his car away and began to slide it in the small aisles between the rows of vehicles. Occasionally glancing from side to side, he soon spotted a parking space at the very back. Moments later he was leaning against the car door, glancing at his watch every few minutes and wondering if time had deliberately slowed down.

Pulling out a pair of sunglasses from his coat pocket, he placed them over his eyes and glanced once again at his watch; ten minutes had barely passed. Kenshin decided that he was not going to wait by his car for a man who didn't have the foresight to call ahead. Pushing himself away from the door, Kenshin headed for a row of shops lining the sandy beach, placed there to elicit tourists and those who forgot to bring certain items for a day at the beach. He walked past the Kamiya girl and her racoon friend, noting the fact that the two girls and more of their friends were setting up a net. The weasel girl stopped and waved at him, trying to catch his attention. Kenshin continued walking towards the shops.

The first two he had no interest in, ice cream and candy stores. The second one was a newspaper stand with a fat, greasy man with a stained white shirt leaning against the counter. He stopped by it and picked up one of the papers, scanning the headlines momentarily. A heavily scarred man was staring back at him with most of his face bandaged.

"Makoto Shishio," he read the large black print. There was a man he hadn't seen in years. Shishio had once worked for Hiko, acting as Kenshin's successor though after a time the man had run off to Japan and disappeared. Neither Kenshin nor Hiko bothered with trying to locate him, knowing that Shishio's ability to keep a tight lip would never fail them. Now here he was making the front page, apparently a multi-millionaire working as head of his own company. No doubt a legitimate one.

"I'll take this," Kenshin said, holding the paper up.

The greasy man grunted and named the price. The redhead tossed a few bills onto the counter and began walking, newspaper tucked under his arm. He kept away from the beach, preferring not to have any sand in his shoes. Compared to the many people there, he felt out of place. His semi-formal outfit was less than suitable for a trip to the seaside.

Wooden docks lined the shops, bordered by a waist high railing. Leaning against one of the posts, Kenshin ignored the wind as it whipped his hair about in a swirling cloud of red. He instead was focused on the Kamiya girl and the game of volleyball she was playing with her friends. He only needed to watch a few matches before catching onto the basic rules of the game. 

When he'd been under Hiko's care, Kenshin never had a chance to attend a school. He was educated at home by some of the best tutors. His training in kendo filled his physical education requirements and so he never needed to learn or participate in many team sports. 

It'd been obvious from the start that the Kamiya girl's team would win. With both her and the racoon girl paired up they made an unstoppable duo. Just by watching Misao he could tell that the girl had extensive physical training, if not in swords then definitely with some form of martial arts. 

Another round of the sport began, the teens, having realized the practicality in separating both Kamiya and Makamachi, insisted on having at least one girl on each side. Kamiya had relented to their demands and ducked under the net to join the other team. 

This time it'd been harder to discern which team would come out as the victor. Kenshin found himself watching the game with interest, much to his dismay, and even smiled when the Kamiya girl scored the winning point. Her team broke out in cheers. They slapped each other on the back and shook the Kamiya girl, giving her words of encouragement. The girl blushed heavily, but the spirit of the celebration affected her and she broke out into a laugh when one of her teammates dumped a bottle of water over her head.

After the cheering had died down the players dispersed. Some flopped onto the sand, appearing as if they'd gone into a coma, while others rushed off into the waters. Finding himself bored, Kenshin turned away from the beach. He turned his back to the railing and watched as tourists walked to and fro.

His muscles tensed when he felt the presence of a fiery life force coming at him at a startling pace. 

"Himura-san!"

He glanced over towards Misao who was running towards him. The girl skidded to a halt, spraying sand in nearly every direction. Kenshin glared at her as most of it fell onto him. He was trying to shake sand out of his bangs when the braided girl hopped onto the platform, snatched his arm, and began dragging him away.

"What…?" He blurted out and struggled.

"It's time Himura-san," Misao replied. She grinned at him as her hold on his arm tightened. "We're going to see Aoshi-sama!"

"_We?" _

"Of course! Aoshi-sama gave me specific instructions to make sure that you didn't forget," she answered, not at all aware that her words were causing the redhead to scowl.

_'He did it to torture me.'_

Just as abruptly as Misao had started off into a run she came to a halt that was so swift that Kenshin nearly barrelled into the girl. He twisted his arm free from her grasp and stared at the girl questioningly. Misao didn't catch his expression but was staring past him, her blue eyes slit in a squint. Twisting his body around Kenshin saw both Kaoru and Yahiko running, both with their shoes in hand as they tried to catch up with them. Kenshin brought a hand to his forehead, he knew without asking just what the two were intending.

"You two aren't coming," he said once they were in earshot.

The two halted in their steps, and very much like Misao they brought about a cloud of dust and sand. Thankful that his eyes were protected by his shades Kenshin turned his back to the two and began a steady march towards the amusement park. 

"Himura-san!" Misao exclaimed her voice reaching a high pitch. "Kaoru and Yahiko _must come!"_

"If they're coming then don't expect me to baby-sit them," Kenshin snapped. He didn't spare a glance at the two, knowing what their reactions would be. 

"We don't need baby-sitters!" Yahiko retorted.

Kenshin's reply was a snort. Yahiko glared at the man's back. Just as he was ready to pounce on the redhead, a hand landed on his shoulder and restrained him. He glanced up to see Kaoru staring back at him disapprovingly.

"Don't," she said. "He's still our guest."

It wasn't often when Yahiko willingly obeyed his sister, but the way she scowled made him refrain from any rash behaviour. 

"Come on," she said, prodding him forward.

They reached the gate and found Himura and Misao already in the line-up. Inwardly Kaoru groaned, she didn't like waiting, but took her place behind the two. She sighed and reached for her pocket, hoping she'd brought enough to pay for the fare. Her hand froze, hovering above her thigh upon realizing that she'd forgotten one important item.

"Yahiko…" she mumbled.

The boy glanced up at her questioningly.

"Do you happen to have…" she lowered her voice and turned away from the redhead. "Enough money to pay?" 

Her brother scowled but reached into his pocket and nodded. Relief washed over her, and Kaoru straightened once more. She frowned, seeing the redhead staring at her from over his shades; their eyes met and Kaoru felt her cheeks warming. She quickly directed her gaze elsewhere. As the line began moving she chanced a furtive glance at Himura. The redhead had his back turned to her.

It took the group fifteen minutes of waiting before they reached the front. Kaoru glanced up in surprise when she heard Himura say, "Three adults and one child." 

He placed the money through the slot before she had a chance to protest and moved away to the entrance. She followed in silence and held out her hand to the waiting park staff. They brought down a rubber stamp on the back of it and barely acknowledged her before turning to the next person.

A paved area of concession stands, games, small shops and rides was spread before them. Crowds of people, families and couples gathered at these sites. Some spent their money away on games in hopes of winning a stuffed toy while others waited in line-ups to get on a minute-long ride.

"I wanna go on the roller coaster!" Yahiko exclaimed and rushed off.

"Wait for me!" Misao exclaimed and moved to follow the boy. Kenshin's voice stopped her.

"Makamachi."

The voice halted the girl in her tracks. Kaoru turned to see the redhead standing behind her in the shadows of the huge walls surrounding the amusement park. He had his arms crossed against his chest and was staring past her at Misao with slight annoyance. 

"Eh?" Misao questioned.

"Where did Aoshi say he wanted to meet me?" Himura asked.

"Oh, um…" Misao quickly scanned the amusement park. "Over there!" She was pointing to a small building bearing a large sign hanging on its front reading: "House of Mirrors". Kaoru could see his annoyance turning into irritation. She had to admit that he didn't seem to be the kind of a person who enjoyed going to amusement parks.

Grunting, Himura strode past her and forced his way through the crowd. Kaoru stood staring at him before she felt herself being dragged forward. 

"Misao!" she exclaimed, realizing what the braided haired girl intended.

"Come _on, Kaoru, let's have a little fun!" her friend exclaimed. _

Kaoru felt her stomach tighten into a knot as she saw their destination: the Twister. 

***

Kenshin strolled past the entrance to the House of Mirrors, briefly showing his hand stamp to an employee of the park. The place was dimly lit as means to give it an eerie atmosphere. All it succeeded in doing was having Kenshin walk into mirrors. The place had been built as one large maze with mirrors as its walls. Some were constructed to stretch his image in an absurd manner, making him appear fat in a few or incredibly thin in others. Some were normal mirrors with handprints smudging their surfaces.

He felt rather than saw the Okashira, though it was hard to miss the man's reflection. His image was on almost every mirror in the next hall. Approaching the sombre man, he stopped only a few feet away from him and stood waiting.

Returning his gaze, the Okashira continued to stand still. 

Moments passed before Kenshin could feel a corner of his lips twitching. He bit back the smile. It was always said that the only other man who could be more silent than he was the Okashira. He believed those rumours to be true, knowing firsthand just how silent Aoshi could be.

"Aoshi," he said.

Nodding in greeting, the Okashira shoved his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a manila envelope. He tossed it at Kenshin, who held his hand out, watching it flutter into his palm. The envelope was thin and unsealed. It was hard to believe that something like a mere piece of paper could have the power to bring about a person's death. Pulling its contents out of the envelope, Kenshin quickly glanced over the paper. It had a single name and a few vital stats of a man he'd never heard of. 

He smiled slightly. Its colour had changed, but it still bore the same significance to Kenshin as the black envelopes he'd received in his youth. 

"Thank you," he said, folding the paper away.

The Okashira frowned at him in disapproval. "You should just forget about it. This man," he gestured towards the envelope. "Is too important to mess with."

Kenshin shoved the packet into his coat and shrugged. "I don't care about dying. Besides, he'll be dead before they find out that it's me."

"He's powerful. His friends will figure out that it was you."

"Then let them come," Kenshin said coolly. "They all deserve to die."

End Chapter Two.

To the people who reviewed my fics:

**Deja Vu**: LOL! How can you be rooting for a pairing you don't even know about? Silly girl. :P

**Kitt**: Thanks! Don't worry how about I just have both you and Deja beta read the next chapter. ;)

**Lizzie**: Yep! It's thickening and I hope it continues on doing so. Don't worry  more of the characters we all know well and love will also be making an appearance. The family businesses? Eh heh aint that obvious? 

**nemo**: Yeah I get ya, I often times go on FFN for some reading when I shouldn't be and yes, I shamelessly turned Kenshin into a jerk but not too much of one I hope. 

**Astareel**: Thank you! The encouragement is much appreciated.

**Neko-chan**: I'm really glad you're enjoying the fic and the characterization. Of course I'll keep it up!!

**AN 2**: 

Ok, I'm getting a lot of questions about the age difference between Kenshin and Kaoru. I guess I should make it pretty clear that the diff in this fic is the same as it is in the series. I really have no problems with a 28-year-old guy dating a 17-year-old girl. The way I see it, as long as they're in love, age matters very little. Of course for those of you who are squeamish, Kaoru has a birthday in June so let's just say it's coming up soon making the pairing legal. Anyway I hope this clears things up and I also hope no one's gonna be chucking tomatoes at me. See ya in Chapter 4!!


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